Flat glass manufacturer rethinks expansion plans

MANILA, Philippines — Pioneer Float Glass Manufacturing Inc. (PFGMI) is rethinking plans to expand and build a new facility for the manufacture of flat glass this year due to the influx of substandard imports.

PFGMI president Paul Vincent Go told reporters, the company is looking to invest more than P5 billion for a new facility for the manufacture of float glass on an area covering at least 50-hectares in Bataan in the fourth quarter.

The new facility would produce an additional capacity of 900 metric tons (MT) per day for PFGMI which has a 28-hectare facility in Pasig with daily output of 500 MT. 

Go said the company is still studying whether to pursue the plan due to the entry of imports of flat glass, with some not meeting the standards set by the government,  as the product remains classified under “voluntary product certification” of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). 

“We are on a wait-and-see,” he said. 

Flat glass used for buildings, was previously part of the list of products under mandatory certification, but the DTI decided to remove it from the list in 2015 to facilitate issuance of Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) certificate and limit the list of mandatory product standards to those considered to be life threatening. 

The DTI issues the ICC certificate to importers of products which pass safety and quality tests. With the ICC, the importer is allowed to sell and distribute the product in the market. 

When a product is listed under mandatory certification, it will have to go through tests based on requirements of the agency. 

Since the product was delisted from mandatory certification, Go said there has been influx of imports, with some having lower quality than the standards set by the government. 

PFGMI executive vice president Nonie Galpa said the company is not against importation, but wants the government to make sure imports meet standards.

He said PFGMI has written a letter to Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez for the return of flat glass products on the list of products under mandatory certification to protect consumers and ensure the products do not present harm or hazards to residential and building occupants. 

“We do not believe this (flat glass) is not life threatening,” he said. 

He also said flat glass should be put back on the list of products under mandatory product certification, as the move of the DTI in 2015 to remove the item from the list was a stop gap measure given significant increase in ICC applications and port congestion at that time.

“In the DAO (Department Administrative Order) they released, the reason cited is, this is a stop gap measure. So, stop gap measure means it is just a temporary relief,” he said.